LONG CYCLING TRIP

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21298, 27 September 1932, Page 6

LONG CYCLING TRIP

ADVENTURE OF GIRL (JOURNEY OF 1107 MILES RUA MET IN UREWERA 'An adventurous bicycle tour, principally through rough territory in the King Country, the Urewera Country, and the East Coast, wris recently completed by Miss Nora Copsev, of the Wanganui Technical College. Miss Copsey had the experience of taking' the first bicycle to Maungapohatu, the famous Urewera stronghold ;;of the Maori "prophet" Rua. She also If met Rua and four of his wives. f From Wanganui Miss Copsey travelled bv service car to Stratford. During her tour she covered a distance of 1107 miles, only 289 being by car or train. She left Stratford on .August 18 for Ohura, a muddy road for about 13 miles being the first difficulty encountered. Proceeding to Matiere she was compelled to follow the railway line, the road being impassable for traffic. Her journey to Putaruru was made by way of Aria, Pio Pio, Te Kuiti, •Te Awamutu and Arapuni.

Heavy rain was encountered on the way through Mamaku to Te Teko, and it was hero that. Miss Copsey felt that the real hardships pf the trip commenced. . She went through the Galatea estate, and was considerably aided by the hospitality of the manager of the estate, the welcome accorded her at all stages of her journey proving extremely acceptable. A night was spent at Murupara, and Miss then set out for Te Whaiti, in the Urewera Country. After a hill climb of eight miles, a nut on the front wheel of her bicycle was shed, and, at nightfall, she found that the light would not function. As a consequence she was thrown in a rut in the darkness of the bush below Heipipi, and was compelled to carry the bicycle. She also lost her purse and her matches, but was able to recover these articles -with the assistance of a Maori vouch from Ruatahuna. Stream Recrossed Miss Copsey was accompanied by a school teacher in the district. Miss A. Shaw, on her journey along the Maungapobatu track. At Papatotara they branched off on a route used only by horses or, very occasionally, by trampers. A stream 'was crossed and recrossed more than 30 times, and the track then wound up and over three large ridges. In parts the track was cut so deeply that the ground surface was level with the travellers' heads, and it was so narrow that it was impossible to walk at the side of the bicycles as they were being pushed along. A portion of the route, known as Jacob s Ladder, consisted merely of steps made by horses' hoofs.

It. was dark before - a clearing was reached, but a suggestion that a bush camp should be prepared was dropped, dnd the two young women pressed on to the mission house at Maungapohatu, Miss Copsey leaving her bicycle in the bush. Accommodation was given at the mission house, which was reached at 9 p.m., Miss Copsey returning for her machine the next morning, and making a bush journey of eight miles to do so.

" Maungapohatu, Rua's stronghold, was s fascinating place," Miss Copsey stated in her account of the trip forwarded to the New Zealand Herald. "I was a centre of much interest, as I had brought the first bicycle to Maungapohatu. The next morning I started out on what was really a bridle track, 20 miles long and largely overgrown, to what was actually JRua's 'place.' There was a good deal of fallen timber, necessitating detours into the bush. The track was a series of elbow bends, and each bend a quagmire. It .wound along the side of a mountain range, climbing a little, falling a little, always the forest closing in, and not a sound or a sign of civilisation." Meeting With Eua The machine had to be lifted over boggy places on the track. As night fell Miss Copsey left the route and crossed and recrossed a river. Eventually, she was compelled to spend the night in a deserted whaie. The next morning she reached Rua's settlement at Tawhaua, and was welcomed by the-" prophet " and four wives. Maori, boys attempted unsuccessfully to mend Miss Copsey's machine. Miss Copsey eventually made her way to Opotiki by way of Manuka Flats, and then went op to Te Raha, Raukokare, wh'ere she pushed the bicycle across a river, and Waihou Bay. At stages during this journey she suffered severely from exhaustion. slie travelled on to Hicks Bay and Te Araroa, where a mechanic repaired her bicycle, and proceeded down the East Coast farther than Gisborne before taking a. service car for Napier. From there she travelled to Taihape, through n.uripapango, and negotiated the n.otorious Gentle Annie hill.

Fropi Taihape Miss Copsey travelled by train to Wanganui. She cycled the distanpe in a little over two weeks. On previous occasions she has undertaken long cycling tours.